91制片厂

91制片厂 receives Tree Campus recognition, plans microforest

91制片厂 recently earned its first Tree Campus Higher Education recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation, acknowledging the college鈥檚 commitment to caring for its campus trees and involving students in environmental stewardship.

The recognition comes as 91制片厂 expands its sustainability efforts, including plans to establish a microforest containing 20 native tree species near the college鈥檚 orchard on the northwest side of the Palatine campus.

91制片厂 Sustainability Manager Nicole Keeler said that the Tree Campus recognition builds on ongoing tree care and sustainability efforts that benefit 91制片厂 and the surrounding communities.

鈥淥ur goals are to restore or create areas that promote resilience for both the existing plantings and the buildings, as well as cooling the campus, reducing heat gain and improving air quality,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nything that we can do to be better environmental stewards for the greater community is a big win.鈥�

Keeler collaborated with the college鈥檚 Sustainability Committee, Facilities Management and stakeholders across campus to earn the designation. She said the work already being done by Roads and Grounds Supervisor Billy Maloney and his crew provided a strong foundation.

鈥淭o establish the tree campus distinction, you declare that you have a good tree care plan in place,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen I came on board, we established that the health of the campus is strong. Billy is an environmentalist by nature, so he has a keen sense for biodiversity, ecosystems and environmental stewardship. He鈥檚 very in tune with the impact of human activity and how to help protect and restore habitat.鈥�

Maloney said that he works with employees, students and local vendors to provide regular tree maintenance across campus.

鈥淲e try to be proactive in terms of preventing diseases or solving problems before they arise,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e also have groundskeepers on staff who are former arborists, so they bring a lot of knowledge. I have one crew member who is really good about doing regular inspections, and another who really enjoys planting, and he鈥檚 done a great job of planting trees on the south side of campus.鈥�

Jackson Zinck studied wildlife and conservation biology at 91制片厂 and earned an Associate in Science degree last spring. The 24-year-old Deer Park resident began as a student intern and now works with the grounds crew to care for 91制片厂鈥檚 trees and advance sustainability initiatives, including removing invasive buckthorn. He鈥檚 currently developing a survey to identify surface-temperature hot spots on campus where additional trees could provide shade.

鈥淲e get volunteers to go out on specific days and take the surface temperatures,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he goal is to locate and determine where we can add more shading to reduce these surface temperatures, ultimately with the goal of keeping staff and students safer during heat waves, keeping our campus cooler, and also reducing energy waste and extra cost.鈥�

Earning a Tree Campus designation is just the first step toward creating a greener and more sustainable campus. That commitment will take root in the new microforest planned near Roselle Road and Euclid Avenue.鈥�

鈥淚t will be a habitat for biodiversity,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he trees will be specifically native to our region in northern Illinois. There鈥檚 a waterfall effect that happens by continuing to increase our shade canopy. It could reduce the quantity of lightning strikes, for example, by cooling the campus. These microforests also become self-resilient.鈥�

Keeler said that 91制片厂鈥檚 tree care plans also support the sustainability initiatives in the college鈥檚 current strategic plan.

鈥淭hey give us the opportunity to incorporate more interactive engagement with plantings and trees on campus into the students鈥� experience and their curriculum,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his is another way that we can create a living lab.鈥�